Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) “tags” are used in a range of systems to identify people or things. An RFID tag contains a memory that can be programmed with data. This data can identify a thing to which the tag is attached or a person who has possession of the tag. When the tag comes near an RFID reader, that data can be read and used to control actions of the system based on the identity of the thing or person near the system. The RFID tag, for example, may identify a person using the system and charge an account of that person for use of the system.
One such system that uses RFID tags is a bicycle rental system. People enroll as members of the system. As part of enrolling, a person may provide financial account information, specifying an account that is to be charged for bicycle rentals. An operator of the system may record this financial information, in connection with an identifier for the member, which is also programmed into an RFID tag.
The RFID tag may have a form factor similar to that of a conventional credit card, making the RFID tag easy for a member to carry. The RFID tag may also have a form factor similar to that of a key fob or any other form factor. As the member travels throughout a metropolitan area in which the bicycle rental system is deployed, the member may present the RFID tag as a key at bicycle rental stations to unlock a bicycle for that member to rent.
In accordance with a conventional RFID tag distribution model, an operator of the system may receive membership registrations over the Internet. Using information collected during the registration process, an account may be established, that may include recording information to process payments for bicycle rentals. An identifier for the member, which may also be associated with the stored information, may be programmed on an RFID tag. That RFID tag may then be delivered to the member through the mail.
This approach of enrolling as a member in a bicycle rental system may take a week or more to complete. If a person desires to rent a bicycle before obtaining an RFID tag, the person may, instead of using the RFID tag, pay at the time of rental. Payment may be made by presenting a credit card to a payment station associated with a bicycle rental station.